CES 2025: Still expensive but another solid Orbi option
Netgear has used CES 2025 to expand its Orbi lineup with the Orbi 870 Series going live over in Vegas, bringing Wi-Fi 7 speeds and features to homes without completely breaking the bank.
Priced at $1,299.99 / £1,199.99 for a three-pack, it isn’t exactly cheap but the Orbi 870 sits comfortably between the budget-friendly-ish Orbi 770 and the top-tier Orbi 970, the latter of which costs an eye-watering $2,299.99 for a similar setup.
The Orbi 870 Wi-Fi mesh system promises robust coverage of up to 9,000 square feet, though, as always, real-world performance will depend on your home’s layout and potential interference.
Its tri-band setup supports 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and the high-speed 6GHz bands, while the inclusion of Wi-Fi 7 features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) enables connections across multiple bands simultaneously.
For those with compatible Wi-Fi 7 devices, this could translate to faster speeds, reduced latency, and more reliable performance.
Even if you haven’t upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 yet, the Orbi 870 remains backward-compatible with older Wi-Fi standards, offering a futureproof solution for growing connected homes.
Wi-Fi 7 is still a developing standard, meaning you’ll need compatible devices to unlock its full potential. But even without them, the Orbi 870’s advanced features, such as enhanced backhaul via MLO, provide indirect benefits by improving how the mesh system communicates internally.
This ensures better stability and throughput across your network, regardless of your devices’ Wi-Fi generation.
As always, Netgear hasn’t skimped on ports; The Orbi 870’s router includes a 10Gbps Ethernet WAN port, while both the router and satellites come equipped with four 2.5Gbps LAN ports each; ideal for anyone looking to hardwire devices for optimal performance.
This is a step up from the Orbi 770’s satellite configuration and a slightly scaled-back version of the Orbi 970’s options, balancing performance with price.
Available now in both black and white, the Orbi 870 can be purchased as a three-pack for £1,199.99 / $1,299.99, a two-pack for £799.99 / $999.99, or individual satellites for £499.99 / $549.99 each.
We’ll be putting the system through its paces soon, so stay tuned for our full review.
